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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425800">Love Henning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/plushbun/pseuds/spacerabbit'>spacerabbit (plushbun)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Endonesia (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Declarations Of Love, Desert Island, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, International Fanworks Day 2021, Love, Love Letters, M/M, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Discovery, Serious, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, Video Game Mechanics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:28:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/plushbun/pseuds/spacerabbit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The protagonist stumbles upon Dan one day struggling to write a love letter to Roger, and decides to help him out using his Emo powers. He gets Dan to write a love letter spilling his true feelings, but the unexpected happens once it when it comes to Roger actually reading his letter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Roger Nyckel/Dan Henning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Love Henning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's about time I made a damn fic about this ship, I'll tell you that. I've been into Endonesia for months now and I've come to finally post a fic with my main ship from the game, on my favorite holiday nonetheless. </p><p>◯ Warning: Ending spoilers ahead for this note. Skip to the next dot if you don't want to read them.</p><p>Dan and Roger are really amazing characters in Endonesia to which that I'd argue they get the most development out of everyone in the game, for good reason too. It may be a bit frustrating to get their event to happen due to how precise you have to be with it, but it's very rewarding to watch Dan develop from being so reserved and disdainful towards Roger into someone who starts to look to him as a friend. I was also happily surprised at how complex the two really were once you started digging into their conversation a bit more along with the clues the game gives you when it comes to the time periods they came from. With Dan being someone from so long ago before a big war, you can definitely see how he's struggling to keep afloat on the island with so many different people from different time periods being on it, knowing what his dreary future will contain. However, even after his apparent fight with Roger concerning this, he learns to get over it, telling the player in the ending that "If I can do it alone, so can you." (Taken from a rough translation I did of what he says in the ending.)</p><p>◯ Spoilers end here.</p><p>In sum, I love them. Very much so. I don't usually fall in love with popular ships, but this one really struck a chord with me. i can definitely see why people pair them together, as there's a lot you could do with them.</p><p>As I said before, I'm posting this on a holiday. Valentine's Day is one of my most favorite holidays, and I'm glad to use this day on a ship I'm very passionate about. I'm enthralled with the idea of love letters in general so I used it as a basis for this fic to keep it V-Day themed as well. My friend wellhereweare collaborated with me on writing Dan's love letter, thank you again for helping me obtain the energy I was trying to go for. </p><p>Since I'm also posting this a day before International Fanworks Day; Endonesia is a Japanese game for the PS2 that I wish to help create a fan translation for someday. If you came from the tag, I welcome you to discover Endonesia yourself as it's an absolutely beautiful game. While there is a language barrier, I still found the game entertaining even if I didn't understand everything the characters said, and it encouraged me in a way to further my Japanese so that I could understand.<br/>There's gameplay of it online and a wonderful community that has preserved much of the games contents, such as its instruction manual, sprites, and soon its own guidebook if you're interested. If you're invested after the fic, I suggest you check it out. </p><p>I hope to write more about Dan and Roger once I have more free time to myself... They absolutely mesmerize me, and I'm still surprised the game itself made such total opposites interact with each other in such a significant way. </p><p>Thanks for reading my rambles. As usual, please enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a quiet day in Endonesia. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a day to mindlessly explore and relax for once, the boy decided to travel farther out than usual, specifically heading towards the wastelands to catch up with a friend. Immediately upon waking up, he ran over to a nearby megalith, teleporting in a flash as he spun around endlessly in a mysterious void into thin air. After some time, the boy stopped spinning as he magically appeared in an area filled with tidal pools. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A colorful array of soft seashells bounced on the surface of the floating water, with bubbles dancing around their exteriors as they rapidly popped and spawned over and over again. In an effort to not disturb the peace that filled the pools, the boy cautiously ran past the bodies of water, making sure not to perturb the shells as they silently bobbed along his careful footsteps. Even in the event he had to walk in the water, he still exercised care, opting to walk in the shallow water as the shells surrounded him with their stillness. After a mindful excursion, the boy finally made it to where he wanted to go, only to be met with a peculiar discovery. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan wasn’t there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy had travelled to a small part of the wasteland that had a set of ancient ruins; Dan usually was there investigating them, but the young man was nowhere to be seen. It was odd that he wasn’t there, as he was always so persistent in studying them when he could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...Was today different?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Confused, the boy ran to where Dan’s home was, hoping to find him there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surely something had happened to cause this weird phenomenon to happen, and he was praying nothing bad had happened to Dan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, upon reaching his home, the boy was relieved to see Dan still in one piece. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you are..!! The boy exclaimed, grateful that Dan was still alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Keeping in mind some of the creatures on this island, no one could stand to take any chances against them… especially Dan. Someone as shy and delicate as him wouldn’t last a second outside of the bubble he made for himself, and the boy was happy to see he wasn’t taken by one of the island’s monsters just yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Dan looked up to see the boy come running in, surprised for a second as he almost went for his ball mask in his sudden shock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re alive!” The boy cheered, smiling wide as he stopped right in front of Dan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I am.” Dan replied, recovering from his panic. “...You scared me there. Don’t rush in like that, please.” He looked down as soon as he stopped speaking, affixing his eyes to a piece of paper that laid on his lap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I’m sorry…” The boy apologised, kicking his feet as he always seemed to forget how sensitive Dan was. He had to be a bit more considerate around him, as the young man was always more receptive when it came to loud noises.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright…” Dan muttered back, still absorbed in the page in front of him. Holding a pen in his right hand, he twirled it around as he was lost in thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curious, the boy finally noticed what Dan was engrossed in, eyeing the paper on his lap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” The boy asked, pointing at the page.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan struggled a bit to answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh… this. Nothing. It’s nothing.” Dan said, nervous in his answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing?” The boy retorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I’m sure.” Dan lied, looking down at the paper with a violent stare. He fiddled with the pen in his hand even more now, taking out his irritation through his fidgeting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not buying his act at all, the boy stared him down as he spoke again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y’know, you weren’t at the ruins today…” The boy started.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Dan quickly replied, trying to shut him down before he spoke any more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why was that? Did something happen, or-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“N-Nothing happened. Leave me alone.” Dan snapped back, hoping the boy would finally get the hint that he wanted to be alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately for him, the boy proceeded in his prodding, going a bit too far this time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lemme see!” The boy shouted, snatching the paper from Dan’s lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Devastated, Dan trembled as the boy began to look at the paper he took. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy held the paper up high as he started to look over the page, eventually spotting a couple words written at the top in neat, intricate handwriting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Dearest Roger…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“R-Roger?” The boy questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, please just give it back…!” Dan cried out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noticing he struck a nerve, the boy hastily gave him the paper back, with Dan swiping it in a furor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry-” The boy shouted, only to be interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry?! Who does that...?! Haven’t you caused enough trouble for one day?!” Furious, Dan looked the boy in the eyes for once, something he never did as eye contact was something he viciously hated. In this instance, however, he only did it to make a point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Scared by his piercing blue eyes, the boy cowered in fear as he waited for Dan to make his next move. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...But instead of shooing the boy away, Dan sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look it’s… it’s…” Dan mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a love letter. That’s what it is.” He buried his face in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been trying to write it all day…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...And then you came along.” Taking his face out of his hands, Dan stopped looking at the boy and stared into the distance as usual, cutting off his intense eye contact from earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...A love letter…” The boy repeated, rising up from his cowering stance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Dan looked down at the page once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t know what to write. There’s a lot of things I could say… But would Roger take it seriously?” He rested his chin on his free hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” The boy asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ve seen how he is... He’s made fun of me before, you know. Who’s to say he won’t use this against me?” Dan sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm...” The boy thought for a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you should be honest with your feelings.” He finally said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honest? I just said he could use this against me. Anything I could say that’s “honest” may be funny to him.” Dan replied, scoffing at his suggestion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stumped, the boy thought for a bit again until the solution hit him like a truck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give me a second, Dan.” The boy said to him, preparing an Emo to use. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuffling through the Emos he had stored, the boy didn’t hesitate to sic the feeling of charm onto him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pretty.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pressing his fingers to his temples, he carefully transmitted every good feeling he knew into Dan, with words like lovely, dashing, attractive, appealing, delightful, alluring, and captivating polluting the young man’s brain. All the doubts he had before were now replaced by an undeniable desire to write down every single raw thought he had about Roger, no matter how telling. Dan’s face became completely flushed as these thoughts assaulted his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Abruptly sitting upright, he was now filled with a fiery passion that took a strong grip on his very being, no longer being as stubborn as he was before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually… I think you’re right..! I’ll be honest…” Dan rambled, only to cut himself off as he began to furiously write his love letter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy smiled as he watched him jot away on the paper, writing what seemed to be a million words a minute as his pen kept darting across the page. Despite the speed at which he was writing at, he managed to keep up his clean handwriting, ending up with a letter that was surprisingly uniform at the end. Each letter on the page simply refused to be sloppy; they all stood upright with a consistency on par to a typewriter. He finished the letter in only a matter of minutes, much to the boy’s amazement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was thrilled as he watched Dan fold up the letter, observing as he sealed it up with a fine paste made from the seashells in the area. He coated the tips of his fingers in the vibrant paste, carefully sliding it around the edges of the letter as he made sure the letter was secure. Wiping his finger off on a rock, he pressed the paper together with his free hand until it was a compact square. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s finished…” Dan said, shaking off his writing hand as he spoke. Such careful handwriting did a number on his wrist, and the pain settled in as soon as he was done writing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After stretching out his wrist a bit, he frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But… how will I deliver this…?” He looked at the small square in his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can do it for you..!!” The boy chimed in, happy to take the letter to Roger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, really..? Thank you.” Dan handed the letter to the boy, confident in his ability to get the letter to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s still daytime. I could get it to him today!” The boy remarked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“T-t-today..? Oh… Hm. Yeah. That works.” Dan nodded, a bit anxious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. Unless you want me to deliver it tomorrow..?” The boy questioned, asking due to the uncertainty in Dan’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm… No. We can do it today.” Dan thought for a bit again, eventually settling on today to get it over with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it!” The boy replied, immediately turning around to go back to the megalith he came from to travel to where Roger was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me know if he says anything..!” Dan shouted at him as he left, hoping he heard him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will!” The boy yelled as he ran back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Interestingly enough, the boy’s caution from earlier disappeared as he rushed back to where he came from, disturbing the water and seashells around him as he stomped through the area. The once still water of the tidal pools vibrated as intense energy flowed through the liquid, unsettling the fragile sea life that laid there as the seashells sprung and bounced around the reservoir. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bubbles bursted with much more frequency than before, and the aftermath of each small explosion left the boy covered in water. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Paying no mind to how much he ruined the scene, the boy swiftly used the megalith to teleport to the desert part of the wastelands, making sure to choose to appear at the megalith near Roger. With another dizzying sequence, the boy twirled as he teleported into the void again, wasting no time as soon as he got to the other megalith to run over to where Roger usually was. As he ran towards the destroyed police car, the boy's feet left wet footprints on the concrete, leaving a distinct little trail that followed him all the way up to where he stopped to meet him at.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy screeched to a halt as he finally reached the man, looking up to meet eyes with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yooo, it’s you. Nice to see you again.” Roger said, happy to see the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you got goin’ today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have this!” The boy replied, taking out the letter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Roger took the letter from the small boy’s hand, inspecting it as soon as he got it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s this?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A letter..!” The boy replied. But before he could say anything else, Roger began to pry it open, flicking at the edges of the paper to undo the paste that had stuck it together in the first place. He eventually got it open, raising his eyebrows as he began to read what the letter said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy quietly watched the man as he read, noticing his facial expressions as time went on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roger gave off an array of emotions as he read the letter, with his overall reaction being a mix of delight, surprise, and… confusion?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boy, that letter was something…” Roger finally said, tucking the letter away in his jacket pocket after he finished reading it. His face was a bright pink. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t write this, did you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait… what?” The boy replied, perplexed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There wasn’t a signature. No one signed it.” Roger took out the letter again, and showed the boy that it lacked the name of the sender. Dan’s handwriting was beautiful and precise, but it seemed he had left out a crucial component in his letter… a closing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh-” The boy began to speak, but Roger talked over him before he could. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone sent you to get this to me, didn’t they. They couldn’t just give it to me themselves?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well-” The boy started to speak again, but Roger interrupted him once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You obviously aren’t gonna tell me who, so I’ll try and figure out this one myself… You think this was Jesse?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh... “ The boy desperately wanted to tell him it was Dan who sent it, but in the back of his mind, he was starting to wonder if Dan had left his name out </span>
  <em>
    <span>on purpose. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe?” He squeaked in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe? Hmm, alright.” Roger replied, putting his hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m assuming you aren’t going to give me any hints?” He looked down at the boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I could if you needed one?” He squeaked out again, a bit terrified at the fact Roger could be thinking someone else other than Dan had sent the letter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could? Yes or no. I need an answer, or else I’ll be askin’ around.” Roger said, stern with his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” The boy stuttered, and didn’t know how to respond as he grew quiet right after he tried to speak. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. It’ll be up to me then, huh.” Roger shook his head and walked away from him, going towards the concrete street that laid across from them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy zipped his head around to watch Roger walk about, as the man began to pace as he thought about who the sender could be. His boots clicked against the pavement as he stepped, with each noise leaving an solemn echo in the barren desert. The boy listened to each clunky step as they rippled through the area, and closed his eyes as he tried to think about what to do next. He couldn’t possibly have Roger thinking someone else had written the letter, and he sure didn’t want him showing the letter around to people if Dan had written his personal feelings into it. He had to come up with a plan quickly, even if it meant outing Dan as the sender for his safety.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, before he could take any action, he swiftly opened his eyes as he stopped hearing the noise of Roger’s footsteps. He was met with the man looking down at the concrete, kneeling down to take a closer look at the pavement as something had caught his eye. After a bit of inspection, Roger came walking back to the boy, eyeing him as he marched towards him. Terrified at what he was going to say, he shuddered as Roger approached. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you. I think I have an idea of who sent this now.” Roger said, smiling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His smile was soft, a weird sight to behold as he usually smirked most of the time. For once, his smile seemed genuine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“R-really? The boy replied, thinking about who he could have thought sent the letter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. You wanna come along with me?” Roger asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To where..? The boy looked at him with a puzzled expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see when we get there.” Roger leaned down and hoisted the boy over his shoulder, carrying him as he began to make his trek across the wastelands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Astonished by Roger suddenly picking him up, the boy froze in his arms until he laid limp over his shoulder blade. He couldn’t really do much now that he was in Roger’s grasp, but at least he was going where he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laid silently as Roger walked, trudging his way through endless types of terrain as the man was dead set on going to his destination. The walk took far too long to the point the boy fell asleep in his arms, leaving him dormant for the rest of the journey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time passed by like nothing while the boy slept, and eventually Roger had made it to the part of the wastelands containing the silent tidal pools. Quietly stepping in dense dirt, Roger sauntered across the area as he took great care not to wake the sleeping child on his back, while also doing his best not to unsettle the peace that resided in the zone. Upon reaching a body of water, he slowly sunk his boots into the liquid, taking each step one at a time to keep the water still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, water turned into land once again, and he started walking normally again as he headed towards the ruins.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roger began to mindlessly whistle. “Now where could that guy be…” He said to himself, whistling more afterward in his confusion. He was searching for someone in particular, darting his eyes around as he tried to find anyone nearby the rocks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was looking for Dan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finding no one, the man turned back as he started to look for Dan’s shelter, tacitly approaching the giant rock structure that Dan called home once he found it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dan..?” Roger peeked into the house, seeing Dan sitting near the fire as usual.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Roger?!” Dan gasped. He didn’t expect him to actually visit him, and was terrified of him being there without any advance notice. He usually took the time to mentally prepare before Roger visited, but this time he didn't have the chance </span>
  <em>
    <span>at all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s me.” Roger walked into his shelter and sat down on a log across from Dan, taking the sleeping boy off of his shoulder and placing him next to his seat on the log. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I-I see you b-b-brought him too..?” Dan asked, mucking up his words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep, Little buddy passed out on my shoulder, though. It’s fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan shivered as he watched Roger make himself comfortable, with Roger stretching out his legs a bit before talking again. HE adjusted his boots in the process, tapping them against the ground to get the water off of them from earlier. Once he was done, he looked up to talk with Dan again, his eyes completely on the young man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Dan… I got this weird letter today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan couldn’t speak. All the words in the world suddenly escaped his mouth as he froze up, frightened by Roger’s use of the word “weird” towards his letter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was a mistake writing this… Weird? Is he just going to see me as weird from now on?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Was what I wrote really weird?! Did I go overboard?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I was simply telling you how I felt…!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh please, don’t hate me Roger…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roger proceeded to take the letter out of his jacket pocket, unfolding it as he read it to himself again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was addressed to me. And...” Roger began.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan almost started crying. He hoped deeply in his heart that he only had good things to say about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...It was a damn good letter, Dan. It really made me think about myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Dan asked, his anxiety suddenly wearing away to be replaced with curiosity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I didn’t think anyone would actually like… me.” Roger leaned forward and stared at the fire in front of him as he hesitated while speaking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why is that?” Dan grew more curious as time went on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think much of myself, Dan. I’m just another guy on the island like you. Maybe we have different history, yeah, but I don’t see myself as some anomaly here. In the end we’re all just anomalies in some way.” Roger looked up to look at Dan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What I’m trying to say, is that I don’t see myself as special compared to anyone else here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah…” Dan frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never really have, honestly. Even before this whole island thing.” Roger set the letter down beside him as he spoke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Even… before?” Dan was shocked to learn this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep... Look, I know I got this kind of energy to myself. I can be overbearing, yeah. I look a certain way, yeah. I got this energy. Tough energy, I’ll call it.” Roger made a fist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...There’s only so much time someone can put up this energy until it gets tiring. You always gotta be some tough guy. Some tough man. Whatever. I have a bad habit of putting up that front too much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan nodded. He did have a certain energy to him that no one else on the island had, and it wasn’t for better or for worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That letter? I don’t know how, but it saw through that front somehow. It saw me for me, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually me. </span>
  </em>
  <span>If you get that.” His fist turned into a pointing hand as he motioned at the letter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do.” Dan said, quietly floored by what Roger said about his writing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It saw me as human for once, and I’ll never forget that.” Roger gradually raised his voice as he spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was honest. It was raw. Reminded me that I could still feel. Hell, when I was done reading it, I blushed for the first time in… whew, God knows when. Someone really had all these things to say about me, and it wasn’t about my appearance for once. It wasn’t about the way I handle myself. It wasn’t about that front..!!” Roger shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the spur of the moment, he took off his sunglasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To have someone see through these shades… I didn’t think anyone here would be so honest.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan raised a hand up to his face as he inhaled, surprised Roger took off his sunglasses in front of him. He had never done that before until now, and he finally got to see his eyes for once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tired, solemn eyes laid behind Roger’s sunglasses, and any semblance of “cool” he radiated before was abruptly ripped away from him as soon as the shades were off. Roger frowned as he looked at the pair of sunglasses in his grasp, eventually slowly folding them up with his gloved hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was no longer the macho man he seemed to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was just an ordinary guy, just like Dan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite his revelation and apparent frown, Roger still managed to smile following it, speaking one last time before the two succumbed into silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I’m grateful for that honesty. It made me rethink a couple things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two sat quietly for a while as the fire burned in front of them, with the flames softly waving around in the dead air that surrounded the two. Dan couldn’t help but stare at Roger through the silence, as he was enthralled by the man’s true colors. He thought he looked much better without the sunglasses on, and wondered why he didn’t take them off sooner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The peace was ultimately interrupted when Roger piped up again, looking up after staring at his folded pair of sunglasses for so long. He put the pair into his jacket, leaning over afterwards to grab the letter he set aside earlier. Handing the letter towards Dan, he smiled again, bearing the same genuine smile he had earlier with the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh… and… you forgot to sign this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan’s eyes widened as he looked at the letter in horror, realizing he never wrote his name at the end of it. Swiping the letter from him, he rushed to grab his pen and correct the error. However, he paused as he suddenly realized something else much more concerning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait… How did you know I wrote this?” He asked him, surprised at how he knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got a certain energy to yourself too, Dan.” Roger chuckled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had a feeling you wrote this at first. The kid went and confirmed it for me with his rowdy self.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How so?” Dan was genuinely curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You gotta walk through those pools… Boy didn’t even stop to think about how they felt, just rushed on through.” Roger looked next to him at the sleeping child. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I noticed the footprints when he came around to where I was. Was easy to figure out from there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right…” Dan said, a little disappointed it was more so the boy’s error that led Roger to figuring out it was him who wrote the letter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But besides that, Dan. What I said earlier, you have an energy to you. And it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> more genuine than the kind I’ve been giving off.” Roger waved a finger at Dan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, is that so..?” Dan blushed a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s cute…  You’re cute.” Roger couldn’t help but flirt with him a bit after everything to lighten the mood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the end, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a love letter...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dan’s face burnt up as the young man couldn’t comprehend Roger teasing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Roger..!!” Dan squealed, angry yet happy the man liked him back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Haha, I couldn’t help it. Say, you’ve got something on your face…” Roger stood up from his seat and walked over to Dan, leaning over to where he was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what is it..? Let me try and-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Dan could try and figure out what it was, Roger bent over to give Dan a kiss on the cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, Dan broke instantly after the kiss, burying his face in his hands as he let out a soft scream in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t just do that..!!” Dan yelled at Roger, secretly liking the kiss in the end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, too forward? I’ll remember that next time.” Roger laughed as the two matched eyes for once, with each set of eyes telling their own distinct stories. They complimented each other well, as Dan’s blue eyes were a breath of life that managed to animate Roger’s usually dead stare. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At this moment in time, the boy finally woke up from his slumber, waking up to the happy commotion between the two. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, the kid’s awake.” Roger commented, noticing the boy moving. He walked over to where he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have a good rest?” He asked him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Yeah…” The boy replied, wiping his eyes as tried to fully wake up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roger laughed as he began talking more to the boy, while Dan sat on the log still. He looked over to the letter he wrote, re-reading what he had written to Roger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dearest Roger,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When I look at you, I find I do not see your appearance, not your uniform nor even </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>your lovely face. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I see instead, the soul of you, one which has </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>suffered </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>as I have. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Though they are different, we have both passed through worlds both beautiful and very cruel, and </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>the fires of them have forged you into something</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>beyond the physical and </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>necessarily ephemeral. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is what attracted me, </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>a purity of self</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>that rises from strife.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Still, I wish that</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>perhaps I could be a</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>balm to such misfortune. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That, indeed, we might,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>with love</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>sooth the wounds we share.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So I ask, even though we are from different times,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Could we still </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>intertwine?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For my heart hurts for you</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Despite the bars </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>that contain it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once he was done reading his letter, Dan reached over to his pen once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pressing it into the paper, he finally wrote the closing that he forgot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Love, Henning.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
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